Clothes wringer



Patented May 21,1929. v UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE,

JOE! B. BITOH1I,

OI MINNEAPOLIS, IIN-NESOTA, ASSIGHOB-Ol' cam-11m TO m m C. mscnv, OF DULUTH, MINNESOTA.

CLOTHES W BINGER.

Application filed Angult 11, 1924. Serial No. 731,401.

My invention relates to machines for squeezln or extracting water from clothes during t e washing process and the object 1 by fluid pressure and hence particularly useful in localities having water-pressure systems.

Other objects of the invention are to provide a fluid operable clothes wringer of cylindrical configuration, having a combined compression and drainin element reciprocable therein, and divi ing the cylinder into upper and lower chambers, one for receiving clothes'to be wrung, and in which the wringing operation takes place, and the other as a compression chamber, having means connected therewith for obtaining compression and release movements of the compression element.

-A feature of the invention resides in the specific arrangement and structure of the compression and draining element, and in the connection of a drain tube therewith,

which tube communicates with the upper wringing chamber through the compression element, and extends through and outwardly from the compression chamber.

Another feature of theinvention resides in the combination, of a wash tub, fluid supply pipe, and vertically disposed bracket, separately supported at the rear of and above the tub, with a fluid operable clothes wringer and a flexible fluid supply tube connecting wringer and supply pipe, the-wringer body connected with the bracket in a manner adapting it to be brought to two positions relative to the tub, respectively to a lower filling position adjacent the front of the tub, and to an upper locked non-interfering position, whereby the fluid connection between the supply pipe and wringer is maintained when the wringer is at either of its positions, and w hereby when the wringer is thrown to an upper position, its lower end is tilted rearwarclly in non-interfering position, and the wringer locked.

' Other objects of the invention will appear companying drawings and will be pointed out in the annexed claim;

In the drawing there has been disclosed a structure designed to carry out the various 7 objects of'the invention but it is to be understood that'the invention is .'not confined to theexact features shown as various changes may beomade within the scope of the claim which follows. 41 I I In the accompanying drawings forming a' .part of thisspecification,

Figure 1 is a view inside elevation of a conventional form of laundry tub showing my invention mounted thereovery Figure 2 is an enlarged sectional view of the novel clothes wringer showing the preferred type of water valve used in conjunction therewith;

Figure 3 is a plan view of Figure 2 with Y the cover removed, partially broken away to show the construction of the movable bottom or plunger.

In the selected embodiment ofthe invention here shown, for purposesof disclosure, there is illustrated a conventional form of laundry tub 4; mounted on the usual base 5. The usual water faucet 6 is shown positioned'a'bove the tub and is connected to the water pipe 7 leading to the source of supply.

The novel clothes wringer shown in the accompanying drawings comprises a bucketlike receptacle which is preferabl .cylindrical in form and is composed of t e cylindrical wall 8 and bottom wall 9. The upper end of the receptacle is closed by means of a cover 11 having a notched flange 12 adapted to engage a flange '13 provided on the upper edge of the receptacle as shown in Figures 2 and 3 to secure it thereto. The flange 13 of the receptacle is provided with recesses 14 adapted to receive correspondingly shaped lugs or tongues 15 provided on the inner side of the flange 12 of the cover.

A movable bottom or piston is reciprocably mounted within the receptacle as shown in Figure 2, and dividesthe cylinder respectively into a wringing and clothes receiving, and a compression chamber. This piston preferably comprises a metallic disk-like head 16 having a series of radial ribs 17 integrally formed on the upper surface thereof. The disk 16 is slightly conical in shape so as to provide a drain for the water towards the center thereof to which a pipe 18 is connected as shown. A perforated disk 19 is preferabl mounted upon the upper face of the disk or ead'16 and is suitably secured thereto by such means as the bolts or screws 21. Referring to Figures 2, it will be seen that as a result of the radial ribs on the upper face of the disk 16, spaces or chambers 22 will be formed between the disk 16 and the perforated disk 19. Apacking cup or leather 23 is secured to the under side of the head 16 by means of a metallic ring 24 and the screws 25. This leather cup or packing is of ordinary construction and functions to seal the joint between the walls of the receptacle and the movable piston therein. The drain pipe 18 secured to the disk 16 passes through a packing box 26, of ordinary constructiom'in the bottom wall 9 of the receptacle so that the its" reciprocal movement within the receptacle.

The compresslon and dralnmg element, which is reclprocable 1n the cylinder and, in

. this instance, divides the same respectively into an upper clothes receiving and wringing chamber, and a lower compression chamber, comprises a conical disc having a piston fit within the cylinder with its concave side facing towards the wringer chamber, the said conical disc having a perforated flat strainer disc attached to the upper side, forming with the depression of the disc, a drain chamber. As heretofore explained the drain tube is connected to, and movable with the conical disc, and communicates with the drain chamber, and the said'tube, as herein shown, extends through the compression chamber and leads outwardly through the bottom of the cylinder, or bucket-like receptacle.

Water is supplied to the under side of the piston through a flexible hose connection 27 having one end connected to the bottom wall 9 of the receptacle by means of a coupling 28 and having its other end connected to a valve 29 which in turn is connected to the usual water faucet 6, as shown in Figure 1, or if desired, it may be connected directly to the water pipe 7. The form of valve here shown is of the three-way type comprising an intake opening 31 and outlet openings 32 and 33. A rotor 34-having a communicating passage 35 is mounted within the casing of the valve and is operable by means of a shaft 36 having a hand wheel 30 or other suitable meansmounted thereon whereby the valve may be actuated. This valve forms no part of the present invention and I have therefore thought it unnecessary to show same in detail.

.In Figure 1, I have shown a form of mount ing or supporting means for the clothes wringer comprising a pair of parallel links 37 and 38 which are pivotally connected at one end to the receptacle by means of pins 39 and "at their other ends to a pivotally mounted novel form of mounting the wringer when inoperative or out of use may be elevated to the position shown in full lines in Figure 1 and it may then be swung to either side against the wall so as to be out of the way of the operator when working over the tub. When in inoperative raised position, the lower pivot pin 39 of the arm 38 will be substantially in alignment with the upper pin 39 of the arm 37 and the lower pivotal connection of the arm 38, thereby retainingthe wringer in such position without any otherlocking means, the Weight of the wringer functioning to retain the arms in such inoperative position. When it is desired to use the wringer, a slight outward pull on the receptacle will cause it to assume the position shown in dotted lines where it will be within convenient reach of the operator. It may then be swung over the two tubs and will extend out sufficiently to be within convenient reach of the washing machine 46 indicated in dotted lines in Figure 1. Means may be provided for retaining the wringer in suchoperative position but I have thought it unnecessary to show same in the v drawings.

It will be noted that the wash tub, fluid supply pipe, bracket, and fluid operable clothes wringer are disposed so that the wringer body may be successively brought to two positions, one to alower fillingposition adjacentthe front of the tub with the drain tube within the tub,

and the other at a point rearwardly of and above the tub, while at the same time the con nection between the fluid supply 'pipe and the wringer is maintained. Moreover, it will be noted that means is provided for positively locking the wringer in its upper position, which means comprises the straight link 37, pivoted to the upper part of the bracket and wringer, as shown, and a second shorter link connected to the bottom of the bracket, and with its opposite end curve'd toward the receptacle and pivotally attached to a rearward extension 45 of the wringer receptacle.

It will also be noted that when the wringer is in its uppermost position its lower end is tilted towards the wall or bracket so that the pipe 18 assumes a non-interfering position, even when the wringer is disposed as shown in full lines in Figure 1. Thus it is not necessary that the wringer be pivoted as by member 41, since in its upper locked position, it is disposed in non-interfering relation to the front of the tub.

In the operation of this novel clothes wringer, the cover 11'is removed from the receptacle and the clothes or other material to 'ceptacle,

have the Water extracted therefrom, is introduced in the receptacle upon the perforated disk 19 which normallyis positioned at thebottom of the receptacle. The cover is then placed on the receptacle and locked thereto and the three-way valve opened to permit water pressure to enter the lower portion of the receptacle beneath the piston. As the water'flows into the lower portion of the rethe piston will be upwardly moved, carrying with it the clothes until it is brought into contact with the cover. Continued upwardmovement of the piston, caused by the pressure of the water beneath it, will cause the clothes to be tightl pressed against the cover with the result t at the water will be squeezed therefrom and will flow through the perforated disk 19 and into the chambers 22, thence 18 to a suitable receiving means. As soon as practically all the water has been extracted from the clothes, the rotor 34 of the valve will be rotated to cut ofi communication between the source of supply and the receptacle and will be further rotated until the communicating passage 35 thereof will be brought into registration with the outlet ports 32 and 33. The water contained within the receptacle beneath the piston will then flow through the valve and into the tub or other receiving means, thereby allowing the piston to descend to the bottom of the receptacle. The cover may then be removed and the clothes removed from the receptacle.

downwardly through the drain pipe In the drawings, I have shown the receptacle and cover as being cast or moulded. t is to 'be understood, however, that the two members may be constructed of sheet metal such as copper, zinc, or aluminum which when suitably reinforced may function equally as well. Other types of valves may also be emplo ed in place of the three-way valve shown an if desired, the fiexiblehose connection 27 may be connected directly to the water faucet and the flow of water to the rece tacle controlled by the faucet instead of y an auxiliary valve.

I claim as my invention:

A combined pressure and drainelement comprising a disk having a concave depression in one face, and having secured upon its opposite face an element of flexible mate-.

rial extended beyond the periphery and ada ted to form a sealed closure between the dram element and the side of the vessel within which it operates, a drain pipe secured to and extending through the disk and opening at the center of the concave depression, and a strainer member arranged over the depression and secured to the disk, to form with said depressiona drain chamber leading to the pipe, said strainer member having a series of openings therethrough communicating with said drain chamber.

In witness whereof, I have hereunto set 05 my hand this 7th 'day of August, 1924.

. JOHN R. RITCHIE. 

